Abstract

Ogunsuyi JA*, Owoyemi JM

Integrity of wood in service is of major concern to architects and builders when selecting materials for construction. The physical properties of Alstonia boonei wood investigated include moisture content, density, volumetric shrinkage, and percentage water absorption distribution carried out according to ASTM2009 standard. The anisotropic changes of the wood were also assessed with the use of the processed disc from the log to observe the shrinkages, and checks characteristics according to specified standard. Drying activities was carried out for 31 days using the solar kiln dryer and air drying shed to investigate the drying behavior of the wood. From the studies it was observed that the drying in the solar kiln was more efficient than the air drying shed which may be as a result of the higher temperature and low humidity observed in the solar kiln dryer. The percentage moisture content and density distribution recorded for Alstonia boonei wood is 62.5% and 379 kg/m3 on average respectively, while the volumetric shrinkage of 9.7 %, specific gravity of 0.37 and void volume of 76.7% was also recorded. Circumferential shrinkage of the wood disc was 9 and 6% for tangential and radial shrinkage respectively. Checks were observed from the bark to the pith of the wood indicating the need for early conversion and drying.